A Strange Case of Chasing Stars
by Species Unknown
Summary: (I suck at writing summaries) My first Redwall story! More or less a selfinstert (me under a different name) into a time roughly...50 seasons after the most future book. so technically an AU. Also, if you pay attention to the latter chapters you'll find my (REALLLLLLY) late gift thingy for Brian Jaques. so, yeah. read on and review, good beasts! *salute*
1. Prologue

A Strange Case of Chasing Stars

**Hello! Species Unknown here, once again! This time with the start of a new story! Whoooooo! Anyway, I'm just going to do A SINGLE DISCLAIMER throughout the whole story. ****I. DO. NOT. OWN. REDWALL.**** If you missed that, you sir (or mam) are blind, or just not registering it. But yeah, I've had these plot bunnies for a while and am now (finally) getting them down on paper! ….or whatever the heck it is when typing on the computer. Anyway, enjoy. (and don't forget to review!)**

Prologue

A massive, old badger eased herself into a large backed, deep cushion chair with a sigh of relief as mice, squirrels, hedgehogs, moles, and even a few shrews, both young and old, sat around her in a semicircle.

"Will you tell us a story, Badgermum?" asks a small squirrelmaid at the front.

"Well Trixie, what do you wish to hear about?" Asks the badger.

"How about one about the Ghost creature I've heard the elders talking about?" asks a young mouse further back.

"Now then Young Timothy, Isabella asked Trixie the question, not you." Reprimands a Hedgehog with a bung mallet in his belt.

"I wanna hear about the Star Chaser!" Trixie replies to Isabella's question, obviously not have paid attention to Timothy's interruption. Isabella chuckles and says "Well, Timothy, your Ghost and Trixie's Star Chaser are one and the same." Several of the beasts in the room look at their neighbors and some whispered conversations start. Isabella lifts a large paw and waits until the room quiets before starting again. "Yes, they are the same creature. I am one of the few to have heard his story from his mouth, and am the only one living. He is a strange beast, from a far different land than ours, across a sea of space and time…"


	2. Chapter 1

A Strange Case of Chasing Stars

Book 1: New Arrivals

Chapter 1

I'm standing in a field facing the tree line on one side. I blink a few times, confused. 'How did I get here? What am I doing here? This doesn't look like where we're vacationing…' I look to my right and start. There was a massive group of rats, weasels, ferrets, foxes, etc. standing there on their hind legs, wearing medieval armor and holding swords, lances, axes, daggers, etc. 'Wait, they're standing on their hind legs and carrying/wearing medieval stuff?'

I look to my left. On the other side of the field was a line of hares, mice, hedgehogs, otters, squirrels, a badger, and lastly was a huge creature towering above all the others and obviously taller than the badger. They were all wearing/carrying much the same as the opposing side. I look between the two sides a few more times. "This seems a heck lot like Redwall" I mutter to myself. And it seemed like that was the trigger, the two armies begin advancing at a walk that slowly grew faster. And it was only when they started running, that I realized I was smack-dab in the middle of the clash that was sure to happen. I turn and begin to run for the side of the field that was closest to me, I hear the clash of swords on swords and shields and duck, slipping onto the ground, as I hear a whistle of something go over my head. I look up to see a fox with a single bladed battle axe clashing with a squirrel armed with a sword shaped scythe. I close my eyes and cover my head as the squirrel's eyes glaze over from a dagger that the fox stabbed the squirrel with when he blocked the axe stroke.

I open my eyes soon after to see the squirrel's body lying through mine. I stand up slowly and watch my legs pass through the squirrel's body. 'I'm not even truly here…' I realize. Then a roar rolls out over the battle like a clap of thunder. I turn at the sounding of the roar and watch the huge beast charging through the horde right at me as it gets closer I can make out it looks similar to a big cat. The cat-thing leaps at me and right before it strikes it changes to smoke and just as it touches me I shoot up in bed, breathing heavily and pumped with adrenaline, like I just had a near death experience. I look at the clock next to the bed I'm sleeping in, 6:00 in the morning. It took me a few moments to calm down enough to try and make sense of what I just saw. 'That looked like a battle from Redwall, but…that didn't seem like any from the books…' I think to myself 'and, just what was that cat creature? There had never been anything like that in the books…' I continue reminiscing when I hear my younger sister stirring in her bed across the room from mine.

"Chase? Did you have a dream about a red castle with mice and other creatures in it?" she asks.

"No Paige," I reply "mine was about a battle between mice, hedgehogs, hares, and squirrels versus rats, foxes, and weasels."

"Oh. Was there a mouse in armor with a sword?"

"No. Where'd you see that?"

"On a piece of cloth hanging on a wall….there was an Ocelot looking at it…she looked worried about something."

"You mean a tapestry? That's what that piece of cloth is called. And an ocelot? Huh. Interesting…" I get out of bed, shaking somewhat from my dream. 'A tapestry with a mouse in armor hanging in a red castle…no doubt Redwall Abbey. But why an ocelot? That doesn't make sense.' I mull over as I pull a shirt on. I walk out into the kitchen area of the small cabin that we were renting for vacation during spring break. I saw that my twin Forrest was awake and sitting on the pullout couch that was his and my younger brother, Brett's bed, looking like he was puzzled.

"What's up?" I ask him

"Just a weird dream…it was like a battle between animals using really old weapons." He replies

"Huh. I had one like that as well, so did Paige if you remove the fighting and weapons." I tell him "I wonder if any others had dreams similar to those…"

"Maybe." Is all he said. I begin to make myself breakfast as the rest of my family wakes up and come into the kitchen. Brett and my younger cousin Eddie are in first since they were asleep in the same bed as Forrest, my mom and dad come out with Paige. As we eat I ask them "Anyone besides Paige, Forrest, and I have weird dreams last night?"

"Yeah…I did. It was like a bunch of animals that walked and talked were partying in a castle looking thing made out of red rock." Brett says in reply to my question. 'Hmm…definitely Redwall Abbey.' I think to myself as I look around at the others.

"Mine was something similar." My dad speaks up "Except it was a battle…"

"I had one too, with the red walled castle." Mom tells us.

"So we all had much the same kind of dream…" I murmur loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What do you mean?" Dad asks

"Simple, I had a dream about a battle between two groups of earthly creatures that stand on two legs and used medieval weapons. So did Forrest, Paige however, spoke about the red walled castle." I explain "And I have every reason to believe that it's dealing with Redwall."

"Really? That stupid book series you're always going on about?" scoffs Forrest

"One, it's not stupid. Two, yes, it is that book series." I give him a look "Now, the way the creatures in our dreams were acting, plus the "red walled castle" fits the description perfectly. The castle is Redwall Abbey, aka the reason for the series' name, and the animals act like those in the books. Although, I can't put my finger on the strange cat in mine or the Ocelot in Paige's…"

"Uh huh" says Brett dully. I sigh.

"Look, I'll explain more when we go out on the nature walk we planned to do today." I tell them as I finish up eating my cereal. I stand up, put my bowl away, and then retreat to my room to listen to music and mull over what I learned until it was time to go on the nature walk. My mom knocks on the door. "Chase, time to go." She calls.

"Alright, I'm comin'." I call back as I open the door and walk outside. My family and I begin walking towards the trail's entrance. "I did say that I'd explain more as we walked, so why not start now?" I tell them "So, can you give more detail to your dreams?" I wait for my mom, dad and Brett to finish their dreams. By this time we've entered the trail. "Hmm…judging from what Brett and Mom said, the battle was over during their dreams, while Paige's must have been either before or during and mine, dad's and Forrest's were as the battle was taking place." I tell them what I gleaned from their stories "But it doesn't explain Paige's ocelot, my cat looking thing, dad's cat/dog looking thing, mom's cat/dog looking thing, Brett's dog looking thing, and Forrest's dog looking thing. None of those fit any sort of description of the creatures of the Redwall universe, which are mice, otters, squirrels, hedgehogs, rats ferret's, etc. basically all the animals that you saw large amounts of, including the badgers." We've walked about a quarter of the trail.

"So you're saying that none of those odd animals we saw in our dreams aren't apart of the "World of Redwall"?" asks Forrest.

"Well, I wouldn't say "not apart", just not normal/never discussed in the…books…."I trail off when something catches my eye. "What's that?" I point to my right where a glint of reddish-pink was shining.

"Beats me." says my dad.

"Let's go check it out!" exclaims Brett.

"I was planning on doing that anyway, Brett" I tell him as I slowly make my way over to it. When I get closer, I notice more of the glints scattered around. I bend down next to the one that caught my eye; it was a pile of small chunks of rock. I pick one up, 'Gritty…wait, this is sandstone….and it's glowing a warm pink color…' My eyes widen in realization 'just like how the walls of Redwall Abbey are described to glow.'

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." Quips Paige

"Pink colored sandstone isn't natural in this state though." I tell her "And it's glowing the same color that Redwall Abbey got its name from."

"Uh huh…" she raises an eyebrow before her and the rest of my families eyes widen as the stare at something behind me.

"What? Is there something behind me...?" I trail off as I turn and the wind begins picking up in the direction they were staring. "Whoa…" is all I can say at the swirling mess that had formed behind me. It looked like a funnel of pink, white, and little flashes of steel and brown all swirling around each other in no particular pattern. As I stare at it, I feel the wind grow stronger by the moment. 'We soon will be sucked in…' I realize. "Crap! Run!" I shout as I turn, grab the closest person, which was Paige, and begin running. The rest follow my lead with Mom grabbing Eddie and Brett, and Dad grabbing Forrest and Mom's arm and run after me. As soon as we started running the wind picked up much faster. The trees shook and leaves were blowing into our faces, I vaguely remember tripping on a root and getting smacked in the face by a branch that was broken off before falling back, and then seeing the swirling chaos of the portal and the screams of my family as they get sucked in as well.


End file.
